Takeo Spikes’ body forced the Chargers to let him go, but they’re sure going to miss his mind.

Spikes’ age may have rendered him expendable, but his years were an invaluable asset.

The Bolts released the 36-year-old linebacker Thursday, parting ways with a 15-year veteran who has played in 219 NFL games. And while they’d like to replace with him a player in his prime years, finding one who can mirror his mentorship is of prime importance.

This isn’t about locker-room leadership, which, to many, is angrily yelling “letttttttt’s goooooo!!!” at triple-decibels before kickoff. This is about locker-room, practice-field, offseason, weight-room, bye-week, and even night-club leadership that Spikes could inimitably employ.

In the NFL, 36 is not the new 26, it is the new 56, and for someone to play competitively with that many rings on his trunk is the byproduct of superior preparation and preservation. Steve Young learned from Joe Montana, Aaron Rodgers blossomed behind Brett Favre, and the young, unproven Chargers linebackers could profit considerably from an adviser of their own.

We’ve seen how San Diego linebacker Donald Butler has flourished in his first two years on the field, both of which came alongside Spikes. We’ve heard 49ers linebacker Navorro Bowman praise Takeo’s daily grind in San Francisco, where he spent three years before coming to the Chargers in 2011.

Spikes may not have been in San Diego long enough for the city to truly embrace him, but it’s clear that, while surrounded by apprentices, the Augusta, Ga., native embraced his role as master.

“That’s why it hurts. The reason I wanted to finish up there (with the Chargers) is those young guys in front of me,” said Spikes, a two-time Pro Bowler. “Those are some damn good football players.”

Among them is Butler, the third-round pick of the 2010 draft who has started in all 28 NFL games in which he has played. There is defensive end Corey Liuget, the first-round pick of the 2011 draft who collected 70 tackles last season.

There is Kendall Reyes, a soon-to-be second-year defensive end who started four games for the Chargers last year. And, of course, there is Melvin Ingram, the linebacker the Bolts selected with the 18th overall pick last spring who tallied 41 tackles and a sack as a rookie.

Will these men have a mentor to mold them? Can the Chargers find someone who can be exemplary on the field and an example off it?

In the NFL, like any league composed of the best athletes in the world, it takes so much more than talent to survive, let alone excel. There’s conditioning. There’s nutrition. There’s knowing when to defer and when to lead –who to associate yourself with and who to avoid.

No teenager fantasizing about a pro-football career thinks to himself, “I can’t wait to pass my knowledge down to young bucks that might otherwise travel astray.” But like a pension or extra vacation time, it’s a job perk that Spikes seems to enjoy.

As for Takeo’s NFL future – he’s hoping to get picked up as a free agent, and you should hope that he does. In his 15 years in the league – during which he has played for five different teams – Spikes has amazingly never reached the playoffs.

This has had nothing to do with Takeo’s contributions and everything to do with rotten luck. As 49ers safety Donte Whitner said, “I feel for him. He is a really good guy…You feel for a guy like that because you know he wants (that) moment.”

Maybe Spikes will get that chance. Maybe he won’t. Either way – to have played in 219 NFL games and start 215 of them?

That’s not something you hang your head about – it's something you hang your hat on.